This bustling coffee shop inside Sandton City mall isn’t fine dining by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s got a lock on quick, easy meals and drinks for the worker bees in the nearby offices, and for shoppers wanting an inexpensive lunch or latte.

The festive orange chairs and cheerful staff make the open-plan cafe inviting to passersby, who can opt for a traditional table, a comfy couch, or a seat in the separate smoking lounge which looks out on the convention centre.

The massive menu offers both breakfast and lunch/dinner items, and has a little something for everyone: salads, sandwiches (baguettes, tramezzinis, baguettes, paninis, and triple-deckers), burgers, pasta, gyros, chicken strips and oh-so-much more. There’s also a “healthy” selection, a kid’s menu, and a sushi menu. But where Lattelicious really excels is in the drinks department: in addition to all the standard — and gourmet — lattes, cappucinos and macchiatos, there are smoothies, sparklers, granitas, freezos, frappes, milkshakes, and chillers.

I personally go here almost every day, either for coffee or lunch, and have never been disappointed in a meal. The food is hearty but not gourmet, which is about what you’d expect with a chain coffee shop in a mall. I’ve tried the gyro (delicious and PACKED with meat), the burgers (juicy and thick), the avocado rose salad (huge portion and very fresh), the sushi (well-presented and tasty), and of course the various coffee drinks, which are made by experienced baristas with care and precision.

The atmosphere is friendly and buzzy. You can linger with your laptop (there’s free wi-fi) and do some work while you sip, or just watch the parade of shoppers milling past on their way to and fro. The service is very prompt and friendly, and the prices are eminently reasonable.